Hatch cover



F. A. CURTH HATCH COVER Feb. 6, 1968 Filed Oct. I 12, 1966 3,367,300 HATCH COVER Fernando A. Curth, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Bnnge Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 586,293 3 Claims. (Cl. 114201) This invention relates in general to hatch covers for vessels and more particularly to hatch covers for bulk cargo barges and the like.

Barges for carrying grain and other bulk cargo are loaded by means or" rapid delivery chutes, air slide devices, and the like. Workers need only direct a flow of cargo into the hold during loading operations, although unloading may require the complete opening of the cargo hold. This will depend on the cargo involved and the facilities available.

It is a main object of this invention to provide a more versatile and easily handled hatch cover for barges and the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hatch cover which enables a bulk cargo barge to be more quickly and safely loaded.

Many other objects, advantages, and features of invention reside in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts involved in this invention and its practice as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

The figure of the drawing is an isometric view of a broken away portion of a barge with fragments of adjacent hatch covers shown positioned thereon, one hatch cover being open and the other closed.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the hull 10 of a barge has a deck 11 on each side from which a hatch coaming 12 is upstanding reinforced by the flanges 13. Hatch covers 14 span the coaming 12 with inner flanges 15 of the coaming extending upward behind the vertical sides 16 of each hatch cover 14.

Each hatch cover 14 is a generally rectangular arch formed by the sides 17 which slope downward from the horizontal center 18. Transverse beams (not shown) may span the coaming 12 below the spaces 19 between the covers 14 to catch any rain flowing between the covers and conduct it to the deck 11. Four pad eyes 26 enable the covers 14 to be lifted from the barge or stacked one upon the other. If the hatch covers 14 are stacked one upon the other, the corner angles 21 of a lower hatch extend upward inside to the sides 16 of the hatch 14 above it to anchor the stacked hatches securely.

Each horizontal center 18 has two fore and aft openings 22 and 23 formed in it between the sloping sides 17 and the hatch cover ends 24. The openings 22 and 23 are separated by a transverse beam 25 having two small upstanding flanges 26 and 27 forming a channel on its top surface. Side frame members 28 and end frame members 29 complete a rectangular frame 33 about each opening 22 and 23.

Hinges 30 pivotally secure loading covers 31 and 32 by each opening 22 and 23. Loading covers 31 are closed first over the frames 33 about the openings 22 and 23. A longitudinal flange 34 is upstanding on the free edge States Patent ice of the closed covers 31. The covers 32 have a channel 35 formed at their free edges to close over the flanges 31 making a weather-tight closure.

Internal braces 36 within the openings 22 and 23 are of pipe or tubing of round cross-section to prevent excessive scatter of flowing grain or the like striking these braces. Longitudinal frame 50 on the undersides of the covers 31 and 32 provides a strong but light structure for the covers and provides safe footing for loading personnel moving fore and aft to load the barge with the covers 31 and 32 open.

Inspection covers 40 are pivotally secured by the hinges adjacent the outer edges of the inspection openings 41 which are in the lower and outer portions of the sloping sides 17. A frame 43 surrounds each inspection opening 41 to render it weather-tight when closed. If desired, longitudinal framing 44 may be provided on the undersides of the inspection covers 40.

When the barge is loaded through the central and raised openings 22 and 23, bulk cargo mounds below the sloping sides 17 of the hatch covers 14 to minimize void spaces.

While this invention has been described in the best form known, it will nevertheless be understood that this is purely exemplary and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be more limited in the appended claims, wherein:

What is claimed is:

1. Hatch covers for bulk cargo vessels having a hatch and a coaming surrounding said hatch, said hatch covers spanning said hatch and resting adjacent to each other on said coaming, said hatch covers each comprising, in combination, two upward sloping sides resting on said coaming, a horizontal center between said sides, said sides and said center being of substantially the same widths, said center containing a least one central opening extending substantially the length and width of said center, loading covers hinged on each side of said central opening to close over said at least one central opening, said loading covers having closely spaced longitudinal framing members extending from back to front of each loading cover on the undersides of said loading covers, said loading covers being opened to rest on the inner halves of said sloping sides to present said longitudinal framing members as safe footing extending on each side of said at least one central opening, said sloping sides having inspection openings in their outer halves, and covers for said inspection openings.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said center contains two fore and aft central openings, and wherein said loading covers each close over one side of one of said central openings.

3. The combination according to claim 1 with the addition of tubular corner braces in said at least one central opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,119,708 6/1938 Greulich 114-201 ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. HATCH COVERS FOR BULK CARGO VESSELS HAVING A HATCH AND A COAMING SURROUNDING SAID HATCH, SAID HATCH COVERS SPANNING SAID HATCH AND RESTING ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER ON SAID COAMING, SAID HATCH COVERS SIDES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, TWO UPWARD SLOPING SIDES RESTING ON SAID COAMING, A HORIZONTAL CENTER BETWEEN SAID SIDES, SAID SIDES AND SAID CENTER BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME WIDTHS, SAID CENTER CONTAINING A LEAST ONE CENTRAL OPENING EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF SAID CENTER, LOADING COVERS HINGED ON EACH SIDE OF SAID CENTRAL OPENING TO CLOSE OVER SAID AT LEAST ONE CENTRAL OPENING, SAID LOADING COVERS HAVING CLOSELY SPACED LONGITUDINAL FRAMING MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM BACK TO FRONT OF EACH LOADING COVER ON THE UNDERSIDES OF SID LOADING COVERS, SAID LOADING COVERS BEING OPENED TO REST ON THE INNER HALVES OF SAID SLOPING SIDES TO PRESENT SAID LONGITUDINAL FRAMING MEMBERS AS SAFE FOOTING EXTENDING ON EACH SIDE OF SAID AT LEAST ONE CENTRAL OPENING, SAID SLOPING SIDES HAVING INSPECTION OPENINGS IN THEIR OUTER HALVES, AND COVERS FOR SAID INSPECTION OPENINGS. 